Tag: kelsey

How popular is the baby name Kelsey in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Kelsey and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Kelsey.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Kelsey

Number of Babies Named Kelsey

Posts that Mention the Name Kelsey

Dr. Frances Kelsey, who lived to 101, would have turned 102 this year on August 7th.

She was the FDA pharmacologist and physician who kept the sedative Thalidomide off the U.S. market in 1960 and 1961, despite pressure from the drug’s manufacturer.

Suspicious about the “glowing” claims made by the manufacturer, Dr. Kelsey was concerned that Thalidomide, which was being used in Europe to alleviate morning sickness, could have unknown side effects.

The link between Thalidomide and severe birth defects (such as phocomelia) emerged in late 1961. Thousands of European babies ended up with Thalidomide-related birth defects. Many of these babies did not survive infancy.

This is the story of how the skepticism and stubbornness of a Government physician prevented what could have been an appalling American tragedy, the birth of hundreds or indeed thousands of armless and legless children.

The next month, Dr. Kelsey received the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service from John F. Kennedy.

Later the same year, amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that “required drug manufacturers to prove scientifically that a medication was not only safe, but effective” was signed into law.

Dr. Frances Kelsey’s first name comes from the Late Latin name Franciscus, meaning “Frankish” or “Frenchman.” Her surname, originally a place name, is made up of two parts: the Old English byname Cenel (from cene, meaning “bold” or “valiant”) and the Old English word eg, meaning “island.” Frances was trendiest in the 1910s, while Kelsey was at peak popularity in the early 1990s.

A couple of weeks ago, reader Becca sent me a link to a Washington Post graphic showing the 10 most common names of registered voters within each of Washington D.C.’s four main political parties — Statehood Green, Democratic, Republican and Libertarian.

The graphic didn’t mention the disparity between the sizes of these groups, though, so let’s throw that in too. The lists were based on data from mid-June, 2015, so here are the D.C. voter registration statistics from June 30th:

The top Libertarian names are 70% male and 30% female, and most saw peak usage during the last few decades of the 20th century, especially the ’90s.

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It was interesting to see just how feminine and old-fashioned the top Democrat names are. But the thing that most surprised was that the Green party’s list included zero female names. I would have guessed that, if any list here was going to be 100% male, it’d be the Libertarian party — definitely not the Green party.

My name was going to be Lydia, but another couple at my parents’ church named their baby that shortly before I was born. They didn’t want to confuse nursery workers so they decided to come up with a different name. Some missionaries came to visit the church and had a daughter named Kelsey and my parents decided they liked the name.

What does she like most about her name?

I’m really struggling to come up with an answer for this one.

What does she like least about her name?

What I hate about it now, may make me like it in a few years, but as of now I hate how young it makes me sound. In the workplace, I think it makes it obvious that I am much younger than my coworkers Sheila, Pam, Suzanne, etc. I think this is a disadvantage when it comes to career growth.

This is such an interesting response. I rarely hear people with young-sounding names complain about name-based ageism in the workplace. Typically it’s the people with older-sounding names (Pam and Suzanne and the like).

While we’re on the topic…Kelsey’s name is young-sounding for good reason. Kelsey was rarely bestowed before 1980, but it shot into the top 100 in 1987. Usage peaked in the early 1990s:

1994: 9,751 baby girls named Kelsey (rank: 29th)

1993: 11,376 baby girls named Kelsey (rank: 24th)

1992: 11,714 baby girls named Kelsey (rank: 23rd)

1991: 11,430 baby girls named Kelsey (rank: 26th)

1990: 9,494 baby girls named Kelsey (rank: 32nd)

But the popularity didn’t last. Kelsey dropped out of the top 100 in 2002 and the name has been sinking ever since.

Final question: would Kelsey recommend that her name be given to babies today?

No, I don’t think it ages well. I believe this has to with the “ee” sound ending.